Taxed to Death
Debra Purdy Kong
Mystery/Suspense
[rating: 3/5]
Available in:
• Mobi/Kindle
• ePub/iPad
• PDF
• HTML
… from…
• Amazon
• MobiPocket
• AllRomanceEbooks
• OmniLit
Also in paperback
When Revenue Canada auditor Alex Bellamy discovers that $150,000 is missing from Ice Craft Jewelers inventory, someone from Special Investigations suddenly takes him off the case. But Alex decides to keep investigating anyhow, and before he knows it, his best friend is dead—suicide, if you can believe it. Moreover, someone is chasing Alex himself, and he must turn to Jillian Scott, a woman he’s never met and who is as afraid of him as he is of being caught. Soon, her fears and his search embroil them in a bizarre and disturbing nightmare.
I read Taxed to Death as part of a review-exchange on GoodReads: I read someone’s book, and someone else reviews one of mine. To that end, and short of cash, I purchased a copy of Debra Purdy Kong’s Taxed to Death on the used market. This is the first in the Alex Bellamy series, the second being her more recent release, Fatal Encryption. But I couldn’t find a used copy of the more recent title, and I thought it would probably be best to start with the first in the series, anyhow.
The book started by throwing names and facts at me, as many mysteries do. Unfortunately—maybe because I’m dense—I didn’t get what was happening until later in the story. The story is billed as a mystery, but in some ways, it reads more like a suspense novel… except that I didn’t understand the characters, at all. In fact, the major viewpoint character, Les Silby, who gets the most screen-time, he’s one of the suspects. Him I got, at least as much as I could without knowing his full role until the end. Alex and Jillian, the hero and heroine of the story, I had no idea why they did most of the things they did.
As a side-effect, because the story can’t give away the ending, it frequently gave me a partial view, blanking out obvious things that the viewpoint character could see and was thinking about. Now, I’m not an expert in the mystery genre. As I recall, the mysteries I’ve read have achieved this effect simply by staying in the mind of the detective. Suspense novels, not so much, but in a suspense, it’s more important to maintain the tension between hero and villain, rather than to keep secret who the villain is. I’m not sure I liked the effect in Taxed to Death.
The story did get better near the end, as the situation became clear and the forces of evil began to close around our heroes. Even so, I never understood why Alex and Jillian did most of what they did, or felt what they felt, or thought what they were thinking. This is extremely important to me, because rich, three-dimensional characters are key to a good story. And these characters just fell flat.
This story is also missing a theme, as far as I can tell. I had originally expected something like: financial fraud is about more than money. (And that could be the theme of the story… maybe, kinda.) Or: we all pay when someone embezzles funds. (And I didn’t get that at all from this story.) Much less did I see an uplifting, character-based theme. It simply wasn’t that kind of book.
After all of that, I do hope to read the next book in the series Fatal Encryption. Why? Well, Taxed to Death is Debra Purdy Kong’s first book, published 15 years ago. That means that Debra probably put more into it than any other story she’s written, but also that it reflects her inexperience as an novelist. I’m hoping that Fatal Encryption, which came out just a couple years ago, gave her a chance to address some of the storytelling issues I noticed in Taxed to Death. Most importantly, I’m hoping she has gotten better at characterizing her characters, and I really want to get to know Alex Bellamy.
-TimK
|
Taxed to Death |
Available in: |
For those looking for information on the topic “Practical Financial Management Tips for Secure Future”, found a lot of useful stuff.
Вот, делюсь ссылкой:
https://cacticarely.com
заказать кухню в спб по индивидуальному проекту http://www.kuhni-spb-11.ru .
кухни спб на заказ https://kuhni-spb-12.ru/ .
кухня по индивидуальному заказу спб кухня по индивидуальному заказу спб .
изготовление кухни на заказ в спб изготовление кухни на заказ в спб .
Evinizde hem s?kl?g? hem de kullan?sl?l?g? onemseyenler icin harika ipuclar? derledik.
Для тех, кто ищет информацию по теме “Moda Dunyas?nda One C?kan Trendler ve Stil Ipuclar?”, там просто кладезь информации.
Смотрите сами:
https://turktekstil.com
Bu yaz?m?z isinize yarad?ysa, goruslerinizi bizimle paylas?n.
кухни под заказ спб https://www.kuhni-spb-9.ru .
Хочу выделить раздел про Лучшие советы для культурных и бюджетных путешествий.
Вот, можете почитать:
https://tourismstore.ru
Estetik ipuclar? ve fonksiyonel mobilyalarla evinize yepyeni bir soluk getirmeye haz?r m?s?n?z?
Кстати, если вас интересует Lezzet Duraklar?: Turk Mutfag?n?n En Ozgun Tat ve Tarifleri, загляните сюда.
Смотрите сами:
https://sofrasihri.com
Bu yaz?m?z isinize yarad?ysa, goruslerinizi bizimle paylas?n.
topstylecollection – Wide variety of items, shopping process felt natural.
кухни от производителя спб http://www.kuhni-spb-9.ru .
By the way, if you are interested in Harness Gaming Skills for Financial Success, check out here.
Смотрите сами:
https://esportsgrind.com
look here https://etherealtrade.lat/
Для тех, кто ищет информацию по теме “Лучшие маршруты и советы для путешественников”, есть отличная статья.
Смотрите сами:
https://tourismplus.ru
special info https://daodao.cfd/
Между прочим, если вас интересует Навигатор финансовых решений: от ипотеки до инвестиций, загляните сюда.
Смотрите сами:
https://financialonline.ru
adswizard.click – Content reads clearly, helpful examples made concepts easy to grasp.
fashionfinderhub – Found exactly what I wanted, navigation was simple and quick.
seo firm ranking reiting-seo-kompanii.ru .
melbet crash http://www.melbet5014.ru
рейтинг сео рейтинг сео .
blog https://yieldfi.pro
trendhubonline – Items were easy to find, website navigation is very smooth.
рейтинг лучших seo агентств http://reiting-seo-kompanii.ru/ .
trendhunterhub – Found all the products I wanted, browsing was smooth and hassle-free.
see post https://defi-money.cc/
website here https://theo.exchange/
click here for info https://boros.cfd
purefashionhub – Excellent range of items, ordering was effortless and fast.
check https://defi-money.cc
find https://berapaw.org
websites https://dexrp.buzz
Для девелоперов и производственных компаний решающее значение имеет готовая инфраструктура участка: газ высокой категории, электроэнергия, водоснабжение, водоотвод и документы в порядке. Индустриальные земли у трассы А108 развиваются под МФК «Филипповское», подробности — на https://promzem-a108.ru/ — там же данные по трансформаторным подстанциям, лицензиям и экспертным заключениям. Локация экономит время на согласования и старт проекта.
рейтинг сео рейтинг сео .
Привет, нету в личке нечего. купить кокаин, меф, бошки через телеграмм бля ты всех тут удивил!!! а мы думали тебе нужен реагент для подкормки аквариумных рыбок)))
центр геронтологии Помимо центров, существуют геронтологические пансионаты и дома престарелых, где пожилые люди могут получить постоянный уход и проживание. Эти учреждения обеспечивают комфортные условия и круглосуточное наблюдение.
кухни от производителя спб недорого и качественно kuhni-spb-11.ru .
изготовление кухни на заказ в спб https://www.kuhni-spb-11.ru .
check these guys out https://safeglobal.club
купить кухню в спб от производителя купить кухню в спб от производителя .
more information https://unich.icu/
Have you ever considered about adding a little bit more than just your articles?
I mean, what you say is important and all. But just imagine if you added some great photos
or video clips to give your posts more, “pop”!
Your content is excellent but with images and video clips, this site could undeniably be one of the
most beneficial in its field. Amazing blog!
visit homepage https://dexrp.wtf
melbet mirror .md melbet mirror .md
кухни на заказ в спб http://www.kuhni-spb-9.ru/ .
кухни на заказ в санкт-петербурге http://www.kuhni-spb-9.ru/ .
my website https://hyperliquid-wiki.cc
кухни на заказ в спб http://www.kuhni-spb-9.ru/ .
check my blog https://avalonfinance.cv/
fashionvault – Great assortment of items, website loaded efficiently without delays.